LUFTWAFFE ENIGMA UHR BOX

Enigma Uhr Box – Restored.

The Enigma Uhr was made for the Luftwaffe as a means of increasing the security of Enigma enciphered transmissions. It was made to work with the 3-rotor Enigma I (a.k.a. Heeres Enigma) The Uhr Box attached to the right side of an Enigma and its cables were plugged into the plugboard. The rotary switch allowed for quick changes to be made to the Enigma plugboard.

The Enigma Uhr was manufactured in Berlin by Konski and Kruger and went into service with the Luftwaffe in July of 1944.

When this Uhr Box was acquired, it had damage to the exterior wooden box. Some pieces of wood from the box had broken off and the wooden top was separated from the base – perhaps as a result of being dropped. The exterior wooden box has been professionally restored and the hinges that connect the wooden top to the base have been replaced. Beyond the damage to the wooden box, this Enigma Uhr appears to have been in service during the war and shows normal wear to the box and has some fraying of the cables.

Some of the pictures below show the Uhr box attached to an Enigma machine as it would have been used by the Luftwaffe during the war. The Enigma machine is not included with the Uhr box.

Original German Enigmas like the one on this page are extremely rare and hard to find. Most Enigma machines were destroyed during the war as the German armies retreated or at the conclusion of the war when Churchill ordered them all destroyed.

As the pivotal role that Enigmas played in world history becomes better known, Enigmas have become even harder to find. The few that have appeared in open auction have been in as-is condition, not necessarily functional, and with parts missing.

EnigmaMuseum.com offers original Enigmas in complete and working condition. It should be noted that the Germans used brass on brass electrical contacts instead of gold, silver, or platinum, so absolutely perfect operation on every key-press on these 70 year old machines can not be guaranteed.

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